Just in case there was any confusion....

48 Pounds of Me

You may or may not know, but I lived in Michigan for 9 months in 2001. When I left my life back there, I packed all of the belongings that I could fit in my 1997 Saturn with the biggest U-haul trailer that little rollerskate would pull (i.e the SMALLEST trailer U-haul makes). I left behind my brand new queen bed, an oak entertainment center, an electric keyboard, among other various things. I didn't intend to leave a large box of some of my most prized possessions in the basement storage cage, but I was anxious to get home.

Luckily, the guy who I left in Michigan was a decent fellow and gave, what would become known as "My Stuff" to a friend I had made while back there. Actually, it was 4 large Rubbermaid totes that I had left behind! Through multiple moves, and 9.5 years, Rob guarded My Stuff for me. He moved to Vermont a number of years ago but left My Stuff with another friend of his, still in Michigan. Eventually, My Stuff made it to Vermont, and eventually, Rob and I Skyped  (couldn't have done THAT 10 years ago!) while I told him what to keep and what to toss. Those 4 Rubbermaids were pared down to just one duffle bag.

48 lbs of my childhood.

Jason and I have been talking for ages about paying to get My Stuff back to California. We finally budgeted the $71.44 it took to get all 48 lbs across the country this past budget period. I knew My Stuff included my Sunshine Bear, my favorite Christmas ornament and stocking made by my Grammy Faith, and my yearbooks. Every Christmas, tree decorating has been bittersweet without MY ornament. I wasn't prepared for the rest of what I found in My Stuff.

 This is the dog that started my "dog collection". My Grammy and Grampy travelled to Mexico and brought it home for me. I ended up collecting about 15 different dog figurines, but this is the only one that held real sentimental value, and it's the only one I kept. 

 I remember this little Angel (her wings broke off, but are easily repaired!), but I have a decision to make... which kid to give her to! Faith, as the first child/grandchild/Niece, seems to have gotten most of the keepsakes from Grandparents and Great-Grandparents. I've been saving MY babydoll to give to Josie, and now I have this little beauty to bestow on one of my six-year olds. Faith will be six first, obviously, but I think this one might we held on to for Omega if s/he turns out to be another girl. 

My sister bought me this trophy for my first (and last) ballet recital. Having not been athletic, having any trophy was super cool! having it be from my Big Sister was even cooler. 

 A pennant from my Dad's school. This baby was hung proudly in my room for my entire childhood. 

 My Yearbooks. I still can't find my elementary school year books, but I'm glad I have these back! I put colored squares around some people's pictures in one of my Jr. High yearbooks, and I'm sure the different colors meant different things, but I can't remember what. 

Various baby pictures of Josie.... HA! But seriously... I'm told by Jason's side of the family that Josie looks just like Jason when he was a baby, but I beg to differ. 

And then came the Stuff I remembered. My Christmas stocking and my ornament. My Raggedy Ann Ornament was delicately, and precisely crafted (can't you tell?) by a 2 year old Katie and just as delicately and precisely repaired when I broke her in half by a 12 year old Katie. (December 7, 1991. I wrote down the repair on the back!)

My stocking is as big as I remembered and my ornament is as perfect as I remembered. 

Meet Sad Sam and Sunshine Bear. 

These guys are 2 of my 5 toys that I held on to from my childhood, 4 of which were in My Stuff (I have had my babydoll the whole time. It's in Josie's closet on the top shelf). I know Sad Sam's nose was chewed on my our Standard Poodle, Annabelle. I just washed them, because I'd really like for my kids to be able to love them like I did! Josie's got a head start. :) 

The other 2 toys, my Cabbage Patch Doll and my Dumbo from our family trip to Disneyland, were also in My Stuff. They, too, have been washed delicately and seem to have made the tumble unscathed! 

Then came the most important piece of My History....

 I saved 7 pieces of mail from my Grammy and Grampy. She always told me to "be a good girl like your mommie was", about their adventures, and how much she missed me and looked forward to seeing me. Grammy will be 87 this June, but lives in Florida with my Uncle Steve. She's met Faith and Max, but has not met, and probably won't meet Josie or Omega. That fact breaks my heart. She was always such an important part of my life, and i remember getting these short, but sweet, love notes from her. In fact, when I had each of my kids, I send her a self-addressed stamped envelope in which to write them a short and sweet note of their own. We may not get to see her every month, as I did, but I know that she still loves them.

 While Grammy wrote all of the letters, and most often was the one to sign them on my Grampy's behalf, the card I saved from my 7th birthday was different. After reading the card numerous times, I realized Grampy had signed it himself.

Big deal, right?

Right. Grampy *made* stuff. I have a box in the garage that he crafted, a letter "K" made of pennies soldered together, a brass box with my name engraved on top. But in all of those things, his name is scratched in the surface somewhere. I have no other piece that holds Grampy's signature. Imagining my Grammy taking this prewritten letter out to my Grampy's garage, among the sawdust and Swisher Sweet cigar smoke (though, this was about the time he quit smoking, so it may have been among Big Red wrappers), to have him scratch his name on something with a utensil other than a branding iron.

These 7 letters, and that 1 signed name was worth the $71.44, tenfold.

Thank you, Rob, for being the guardian of my memories for almost a decade.

Fun at CVPP

Jason has started co-oping with me since I've been feeling so sick in the recent months. It's been a great relief to have a helping hand! And.... I think he enjoys it more than he lets on.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Faith has reached a milestone Mommy has been waiting for! She can now sign her name, legibly, in one sitting, on 24 Valentine's Day cards for her classmates. 

Next up? 

Writing her own Thank You cards. 

Daddy/Daughter Date!

I had a ColdStone Gift Card sitting in my wallet for nearly a year, just going to waste, so I gave it to the two people I knew would appreciate it:

The Rumors Are True....

Not that I think there are rumors going around about me, but it's true.....

BABY #3 IS COMING SOON TO A FAMILY NEAR YOU!

We found out on December 30th that we'd be adding another body to our household! My due date is August 24th, the day before Josie's 2nd birthday! This baby is henceforth to be known as "Omega", as in FINAL. As in LAST. As in FIN. There will be NO Baby #4, rest assured.

I've been sick most of the first trimester, but the worst came when I had a bout of the flu and was completely useless (except for the baking a baby part) for a week! Once that demon passed, my morning sickness eased up considerably. I like to think it was God's way of slapping me straight and saying "it could be sooooo much worse!"

I'm just shy of 12 weeks as I write this post and am feeling more and more confident with each passing day that I'll be physically AND mentally ready to handle 3 kids come August.

Because we belong to a co-op school, and Josie is not yet old enough to attend, we decided to forego the third year of preschool as originally planned, and enrolled Faith in Kindergarten for the coming fall!! Otherwise, I would have to co-op in the school AND for two babies in the nursery. Not ideal.

The Kinder decision has been weighing heavily on me/us as to which would be the best choice for her and our family, and all the parents I know of kids recently in Kinder have told me they think Faith is ready. She enjoys reading, writing, going to school, makes friends easily, and can sit for longer periods of time. Her gross motor skills seem up to par and she is excited to go to Kindergarten! I really feel like it was God giving us a nudge, telling us it was ok to let our baby grow up a bit.

At 17 months, Josie is a party waiting to happen. She has been known to engage you in a rousing game of peek-a-boo, and can tell you where her head, nose, mouth, knees, belly button, toes, and hands are. Her vocabulary is growing every day and we're actually beginning to understand what she's saying! She had been doing this funny "internal talking" (like a REALLY bad ventriloquist) since she was about a year old, but we've been encouraging her to ask for things, like getting down from her high chair, or needing a diaper change. We aren't doing as much sign with her as we did with Faith, but that is something I've allowed myself to let go of. No sense in beating myself up about it! Of course, our favorite of her words are "I love you", especially when she says them to Daddy when he's at work.

Josie loves being outside and running. Boy, can that kid run! I keep telling people she walked for about a week and then started running. She's also working on hopping, marching, and dancing. She'll turn her music table on and run to the middle of the room to get some grooves in before having to run back to start the song over again! She's also working on singing her ABCs. She's got "A...B....D....D" down and usually chimes in with the "meeeeeeeeeee" at the very end.

I think that about sums up life as we know it. God is good.

Colorado Christmas!

As their gift to us this year, Gram and Gramps brought us out to Colorado for Christmas! The last time we were in CO was to spill that we were pregnant with Faith! My, how things have changed!!

 Josie's all ready for her big adventure! 

 And Faith isn't at all excited either... ;)

 God Bless the MacBook

... and music on our iPhones

 We travelled all day Christmas Eve, so we got to CO just in time to wait for Santa!

 And of course, we had to read The Night Before Christmas

 And hang our stocking with care....

 because by morning, Saint Nick had been there!

 Faith must have been a really good girl because Santa brought her *both* of the My Little Ponys she had asked for, Toola Roola and Scootaloo. They completed her collection. The stable is full!

 The girls were lucky enough to see Gram's Deer up close and personal! 

Thanks, Gram and Gramps, for a very memorable trip. We love you!!

Merry Christmas Nana (and Papa)!

For the first time in many years, and certainly before babies entered the picture, I am not spending Christmas Day with my parents. BUT, my Dad got my Mom and AWESOME (read:jealous me) gift. He's giving it to her ON Christmas Day, even though *we* aren't celebrating together until Jan.2 (Oh, the humanity!!) 

So, Nana, I give you MUCH love and Merry Christmases. Enjoy your toy!!

Cookie Day 2010

Nana came over again this year to decorate Christmas cookies with the Grandbabies. (but now that I'm thinking of it, I don't think I ever blogged about it!) It was fun to see the kids get into it more this year. Faith is an old pro at cookie decorating since it seems like she is decorating cookies every other week at school! (not really, but it sure does seem like it!). Josie actually got to get in on the action this year too, as last year, she was just a blob in a highchair. 

Faith and Nana enjoy some pre-decorating story telling...

... but Max just wants to get his mitts on some sprinkles! 

 Ahhhh.... much better....

 I know my dad is probably going to balk at my lack of contract in this B&W of Max, but I can totally see this picture on the cover of Betty Crocker's 1954 Holiday Baking catalog. 

 Even Mommy got into it! 

 Santa had better wake up or he's going to miss out on the cookies! 

And last, but not least, I give you "The Gramps Cookie". 

Gramps has been sick for many weeks, and in the hospital with numerous intestinal issues (among other maladies). I won't get into them all now, but he is home, where he belongs, and healing (hopefully quickly because he's got a house full of Hoschouers coming in SIX MORE WAKE UPS!). Anyway, Faith decorated this last cookie for Gramps because "his tummy is hurting". Yes, *everyone* knows that cookies with extra sprinkles always makes a hurting tummy feel better!